Run For Your Life
by HarrietALae
Summary: "The end of the world isn't fast. It isn't expected, it isn't something you prepare for. Surviving isn't easy... That's why the T-V wasn't supposed to have existed... That's where the mistakes were made. So... tell me... would you mind surviving with me?"
1. Prologue - Levi

Levi Ackerman was nineteen years old when the world stopped turning. Fresh out of high school as a graduate still donned in his cap and gown, the girl he had been seeing on and off told him that she was pregnant. At the time he was working part-time at a auto shop downtown, not even making enough to support himself, let alone another little life.

Just a little under nine months after that frightening afternoon a beautiful russet haired baby girl came into the world at a whopping 6 pounds 2 ounces. The man himself had never been one to be religious, but her mother insisted that her name be 'Isabel Magnolia', for 'God's promise'. He wasn't sure what the promise was supposed to mean, but just the sheer sense of purpose in the little girl's name alone had given him faith for their future ahead of them; the obsidian would have never anticipated that the name alone would be the extent of the woman's involvement with the little life they had made together. Three days after birth of their baby girl and she had disappeared without the baby, and neither ever saw her again.

The older just couldn't understand how easy it was for her to leave and resented her for quite some time. While he stayed in the town he had been raised in, scraping pennies to make ends meet, he could only assume that the latter party had left them because she wanted to get on with her life. It had been her plan from the beginning, it had been foolish to think that her life would change for them. Just go and forget it all; him and this sleepy town, go off to school, earn that degree she wanted, find someone better for her and finally get that life she believed she deserved - and in a way he really couldn't blame her. But for him, just fazing out hadn't been option, it hadn't even crossed his mind. What could he do? Unknowingly little Isabel had him wrapped around her finger from the moment she was born. He couldn't see himself going through life just tossing their baby aside in the same way his ex had.

Her mother certainly didn't seem to want the small child back. There weren't any calls lighting up his cell from her all too familiar number and there wasn't a time or day that Levi had been able to get a hold of her just to talk, let alone to arrange visits. Despite his efforts that wasn't enough to keep looming grandparents from the other side and warrants of empty threats for the CPS.

Things were hard. The temporary position he had taken up for the summer had all of the sudden become a full-time affair, and what time he wasn't with the baby was spent learning the tools of the trade and getting all the hands-on experience he needed in order to be a successful mechanic. He couldn't quit and go off to school, there weren't any better paying jobs available that were willing to hire him while his hands were tied up with diapers.

Luck just hadn't been in the cards for them their first year. Even with the financial graces afforded sparsely in between hopping to and from his parents, Isabel had been quite sick as a little baby and had been in and out of the doctors office several times in her first months of life - let alone when she started frequenting daycare centers and interacting with other disease-ridden children. Needless to say, the man couldn't afford the growing stack of medical bills and after his first bike accident at age 22 something had to give. The pains in his shoulder had made it hard for him to keep them financially steady while waiting on his injury to heal, and he had to think fast to find quick alternatives to keep them afloat.

It had all started out so simply. Selling just one of his painkillers a day equaled pack of diapers and maybe dinner on a tight budget. However, keeping on the pain killers, scouting for potential customers in alleyways, and making the proper connections to expand his stock equated to numerous new possibilities; rent money, fuller meals, better clothing and care for his little girl.

Levi had met a business partner for the underground in his lapse of time on leave from the shop, and even after he had returned to work at the mechanic it was hard to come up with reasons to stop selling on the side. Farlan had moved in with him while Isabel was still young and made it possible for them to settle into an apartment in a nicer part of town. They made what they could at home, found ways to obtain what they couldn't, and split the cash they made off of the drugs cut and dry 60/40; and in exchange for free rent the blond had started watching over and caring for the little girl in Levi's absence while he was off at work. It wasn't a perfect life, but it was theirs. They weren't rich but they had a comfortable amount of money to float on. Isabel was getting older, she was needing different things...and they could amazingly afford it. They were able to give her all the things a girl her age could have wanted; her own bedroom, a small pet, a pink bike with tassels - those were the things that made her smile the most, and the things that made working on the side so much more worthwhile. Who knows how well-off they would have been had he not started selling drugs, he wasn't even willing to think about it.

He had really been mistaken the first time. The world had really stopped turning a few years later when he had gotten into his second accident. A person had walked out right in the path of his motorcycle while the obsidian was heading into the city on an errand, he and the vehicle flipped and tumbled across the pavement so fast it could have been missed with a blink of an eye. Upon waking the male thought he had been hallucinating when the person he had hit started growling and dragging itself in his direction with snapping teeth...It had to be some sort of trip, right?

Things had only gotten progressively worse on his return home. People were violently rummaging and rioting in the streets, hoarding what they could hold in their arms and destroying what they couldn't. Amongst all of this, more infected creatures had infested the road, biting, tearing, and clawing at whatever person they could grab and what flesh they could consume. Just what the hell was going on? He had managed to hurry through all of the chaos and found his baby girl cowering in fear under the table of her 2nd grade classroom sobbing and curled up in a ball. All the other children had either ran off or been rescued by one adult or another, but she had been overlooked by the last authority to sweep over the room. As he lifted her and started running in the direction of home he noticed a bite on her forearm that was the result of one of her classmates, and he couldn't help but harbor the disbelief that all that was happening was even real.

It had been immensely difficult to get into his own apartment, his roommate already struggling hard to board up and secure their small living premises long before they had arrived. Upon entry Isabella had immediately been laid down on the couch as her body burned up with a fever. Levi watching helplessly as she coughed and writhed as her body went through a series of violent tremors. Confusion tore and wracked his brain as live news of the event played quietly in the background.

What Farlan had been saying was insane. Zombies? That sounded crazy! Sure, that's what it had looked like while he was out there...but that didn't make any sense! Surely this had to be some sort of prank, maybe a terrorist attack, or a bad trip that several people were experiencing all at once. How could thousands of people all hallucinate the same thing? Or rather, what and how could turn what was a healthy human being into the flesh-starved monsters raiding their town?

He had nearly lunged at the younger man when he started talking nonsense about Isabel. He was spouting so many things so far and fast. How they had to 'get rid of her' before she 'turned' into one of those monsters on the street, that if they didn't kill her now they would be as good as dead themselves. How could he even say such a thing, especially right in front of the girl? What had he been talking about? What did this all even mean? 'You're crazy!' He shouted, pushing the roommate back away from the sofa and the child. Amber eyes had widened in terror at the two men as they shouted and shoved at each other, silencing only when the sounds of their argument had caught the attention of the rabid creatures scratching and stumbling through the hallway outside.

They waited in silence. A quarter of a pill had been cut and given to the little girl to knock her out, if anything to try and induce sleep to help break the fever. It was all they could do considering the conditions of the world outside. Who could say that the hospitals were boarded up and safe or that they'd even make the trip? It was the obsidian's decision that they stay inside and make due with what they had for as long as they could. Farlan had seemed displeased.

While drowsiness had drooped Isabel's eyelids Levi had tucked her in with a kiss to the forehead and the promise things would be alright in the morning. He was sure to make these last moments he offered his daughter forever engraved within his mind, fearing the worst as he stepped out to survey the chaos looming just beyond their apartment's bolted door.  
>He had only just begun raiding their neighbors for canned goods when the sound of gunfire had drawn him back to his own apartment, competing with stumbling walkers as the tight hallways all resounded with the echo. As he stumbled back into the living room on heavy feet he was stunned to see no zombie threat invading their space, but Farlan standing completely frozen over Isabel; a gun shaking and letting off a steady stream of smoke in his hand as innocent blood spilled down the couch and onto floor.<p>

The way he had slammed Farlan into the wall and beat the boy into the ground had been the closest Levi had ever come to killing a man; rage and grief wracking his body as he cried and pounded his fists into the roommates crumpled body. He cried and screamed why as the victim below groaned and just barely managed to attempt to protect himself from the harsh blows. Just the sound of their scuffle and the breaking of things around them had been more than enough to attract all of the walkers in the vicinity, but by the time they had arrived at the doorstep the obsidian had blacked out and wasn't fully aware of his surroundings until sometime the next day.

Cold and alone, Levi had left Farlan unconscious in their apartment, escaping down the fire escape with the clothes on his back, a small bag and a crowbar in his hands.

The little bit of faith he had held for humanity and this word before seemed to come off like the rising smokestacks looming high above the vacating city, leaving hot clouds of pain and ash to gather and suffocate victims below as fire consumed all in it's path. Boots clicked on the pavement as he made it down to the first floor, cold iron shifting in his grip as a paper medical mask was pulled gingerly over his face.

It was just day one.


	2. Prologue - Hanji

_I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?_

It was still hard to imagine when this whole thing started. Many would claim the world went to shit a long time ago. A majority of those people were probably already dead. After all, if the world was that bad, then they probably didn't fight very hard. Maybe they really had gotten a warning for all of this; just last year crazy outbreaks of 'rabies', 'mad cow disease', 'swine flu'... Whatever it all was, the CDC would always find a way to cover the problem up and calm the public. Well, if there was anyone left there, they probably felt like a real fool. Fabricated lies had not changed the outcome.

It had to have been three months now, right? Twelve weeks ago, people were packing their cars and hurrying towards the city in hopes to get far out of her town before they were quarantined or something; all of them ignoring the warning to stay inside and lock up, wait for a rescue team. Hanji had spent hours trying not to panic, letting herself argue with her mother over the phone about going into the city to bring her parents here where it was safe. The brunette had quickly regretted moving so far away, all for some school. She spent years working her ass of to get where she had been; jam-packed semesters, graduating high school early, summer classes, days at a time were spent in the labs until she could get her chance to play with isolated cells and create clinical trials. The plan had been to transfer back to the city near her parents, but... how selfish of her... To her it had all been fascinating, amazing - she could go into epidemiology if she just kept working!

If her mother hadn't been so insistent, if the roads weren't dangerous and full of people willing to do anything to reach the same destination to meet the military that would be setting up and get themselves to a quicker safety... Hell, she would have died earlier on. Instead Hanji listened to her mother and promised to stay safe in her own home. After going through her house, the brunette threw some clothes and toiletries into a backpack along with her father's old hunting knife before breaking into her neighbors house. The man next door had always been crude, anti-government; he liked to brag about the bunker in his basement - but fear had gotten to him first; she'd seen the hypocrite rush off for the highway like everyone else that morning, and by the looks of the house he didn't take much of anything with him.

It took time fiddling with the radio until she finally managed to hear just how crazy it was out there. As her mother had expected, the traffic was awful and already the streets were full of barbarians raiding stores. To think she'd really thought how silly they'd all feel in a few days when this whole thing blew over. Maybe it was a terrorist attack, or a bad illness, but there was no way the T-V was creating... zombies. Laughable.

She spent probably two days in there just listening to the radio, telling herself not to panic because there was no way an illness outbreak was so bad already. Most towns were vacant, if not considered dangerous and full of these proclaimed 'zombies'. She just couldn't think of a reason to leave - her parents were safe, everything was fine... And in the middle of the night, the radio cut off. She never thought she'd want to hear the 'don't panic' speech again, and hazel eyes just stared at the device, begging for it to start again. Just dead air on every station...

Her phone didn't have signal once she got out of the cellar, and after a few more hours of debate she decided to take a peek for herself. The once busy streets were just... nothing. Completely void of life, dead quiet. The few cars that were around looked broken into, and there was glass everywhere from looted stores. Frankly, she was afraid of breathing too loud and breaking the silence. She would blame the chills she got on the fact it was getting late.

Reality showed it's head when she heard screaming. Hanji wasn't sure why she decided to run towards the sounds of danger, maybe a few days locked up made her feel like a freed animal. What the brunette came to face was exactly what she should have expected - but couldn't have been more surprised of. It was just some kid, probably got left behind or decided to stay. A whole armful of cans had been abandoned in attempts to get out of the situation, but a whole group of just very... very sick people had cornered him, encircled him, and she couldn't look away as he was torn apart. Fear seized her heart, the woman tripped over her feet when she attempted to back away from the scenes. It grabbed a few of those... those things attention, but she managed to bolt back to where she'd been holing up and kept herself in that bunker.

The world very quickly turned ugly. Zombies? Those were supposed to be a thing of fiction. There was nothing that made sense of what she had seen out there; no way the dead were just rising and eating people! There was a bit of relief in not having any real friends, but what of her parents? She had promised to stay safe, but could she really just stay there? She'd go insane! Amber eyes quickly skimmed the shelves, and before she could really think about it, a lot had been dumped into a green duffel bag. The canned goods, dehydrated food, bottles of water, the first aid and sewing kits, ropes, wire, duct tape, a gun and bullets - she'd never been a great shot but what better time to learn but the end of the world? Once in the house she swapped her worn sneakers for his boots - a tad big but nothing that would slow her down, and grabbed the metal bat from the closet. With luck she managed to get back into her garage with ease, tossing road-flares and other supplies into the cheap clunker she would put her life into now, pulling a thick jacket on should anything happen.

Hanji hadn't dared open the garage door until the engine finally turned over, and for a moment she freaked when she ran somebody over; they quickly became her last thought when they started dragging themselves forward with growls and snapping jaws.

It was weird to see such a populated town so void of life; even the highway was filled with abandoned cars and a few walking dead people here and there. She'd never been a smooth driver, but she had never broken so many driving laws at once. It wasn't until the old car gave up on her and her speeding did she find herself ready to steal an abandoned contraption and continue making her way forward. She had hardly managed to grab her flashlight when she was stopped dead.

Before the sun even set loud bombers were flying overhead, drawing attention to every damn infected around her. Begging for the engine to just turn over, the scientist was surrounded by hands pressing against the glass and doing anything to get in. Grabbing the duffel and the bat, swinging like a madman and running even after she couldn't breathe anymore, she somehow found her way out. Her best chance of getting out of there was a freaking billboard. Now that she looked back, that had probably been one of the safest bases she'd had since leaving home.

That was the night she learned how bad it really was. With eyes following the lights of the aircraft that had royally screwed her... There it was, the state's capitol being bombed with no sign there had ever been hope, the whole thing being slowly turned to nothing but a crater. She couldn't remember a night she'd ever cried so much since then or before, she'd never felt more like a child, begging to see her parents again. Even now she still cried for them, letting the guilt eat away at her before she could sleep.

Sometime the morning after she started being thankful for graffiti artists, dragging herself to her feet and breathing in fumes to just get a sloppy looking 'HELP' on the damn 'MUFF-' ad. She would have been more annoyed at the stupid vandalism, but the spray-cans had been a huge help. By nightfall her luck hadn't improved, and back then she'd been such a supply waster... lighting road-flares and throwing them down to the highway in hopes someone was driving by. Stuck on 80, just great... No chance in going back, no chance going to the city. The next morning she got lucky, waking up to someone climbing the ladder to her roost and the sound of gunfire echoing in her ears.

Moses and Dieter; the two guys who saved her ass and took her back to where they and some girl had made base - some shanty garage-shop just outside the city down the next ramp. She shared what little supplies she had, they let her stay and sleep. After her first run they treated her like she was crazy; wasn't it normal to go ape-shit on a group of T-VI? They were the reason her parents were dead, they were the reason she was here; just mindless, cruel jokes that were trying to eat everyone. If heads were baseballs she probably could have made it into a book of records or something. That base lasted... what, three weeks? Amazing... it all seemed to go by so fast when she thought back on it. Dieter got bit, and for a moment he had just stared at her... whimpered like he felt bad. Moses took him out when she couldn't, his girlfriend got eaten, and the two of them high-tailed.

It took nearly two weeks on the run before they ran into another group of people, oh the irony of that base being a church. At least they boarded up the windows, kept the main entrance locked up and had an escape route. After a day Moses got sick - nothing serious, probably just a head cold from exposure but... "No risks", and their leader killed him in cold blood after he fell asleep. She knew Ian was sympathetic, tried to comfort her... Mitabi didn't really talk much, and Rico was cold; Hanji didn't bother trying to trust them, glaring at Verman anytime he spoke to her. She set up her things by the escape route exit despite their insistence on how safe this place was. Yeah right...

_This one seems a bit all over the place; Hanji's line of thinking is very rarely in a straight forward path. There are details that are skimmed over here and there, however they will be addressed later on where they make a much bigger impact._


	3. Here's to being human

After spending nearly a week and a half on his own, he had observed that there seemed to be only a few types of people left in this world. There were the survivalists, those who clung clueless - yet fearfully - to them, and the hellbent. Amongst these three, Levi could be seen as the one who ran with a death wish, often found literally diving into trouble and inserting himself into the hoards with nothing other than the crowbar and hatchet to hold off with. He got a pretty big kick out of killing the damn things, often shouting out in adrenaline where others would be howling with fear. He fought with rage, pent up and bubbling even more with every infected he took out. It made him nearly incompatible with every group he had stumbled upon, but his blood lust for the dead hadn't transferred over to a crazed personality with other humans. The obsidian was rough around the edges and hard to hold a conversation with, but he held value of human life over anything else.

The first time he had run by someone being mauled, he fought tooth and nail to get the poor kid out. Bleeding and crying, he had taken the poor boy from the scene and back to where his people were... only to watch the kid reanimate in his arms as they approached the 'safe' camp. It was the first group he had joined after the fall.

Petra, Auruo, Gunther, Urd... Now those were good people. Despite all that had happened, they still held each other in the amount of respect they deserved; they seemed to be doing all that they could to preserve what 'normal' aspects they could for human life. They had saved quite a few people at one time, and the group had been large enough to trick all into thinking they were safe. He had been with them for almost a month before they were run out by a hoard.

He had been fooled with hopes that it would have been a new start. Even as the safe house fell, he found himself praying for the lives of those he hadn't manged to pull out. Those who had managed to make it recollected at a roundabout on the edge of the highway, and when he couldn't find the four most familiar faces, he found a nice truck and parted ways with the survivors, wishing them the best. He had to be on his own.

Making that decision had been a regret that followed him since the first night he was on his own again. It was one thing to be alone believing that there was no one else out there. It was a completely different situation entirely to keep to yourself after knowing somewhere out there were more like him. It tore him up inside. He hadn't even realized how much he missed people until he had walked away form it all, and no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't manage to track and reconnect with the group he had lost. He had to tell himself that they'd be alright.

He had found more people though. Smaller groups that lived from their cars in woodsy areas, complete caravans of weirdos, aggressive gangs of men with violence brandished on their faces... in turn, he had tried them all. In turn, they all eventually fell. The lives he had left behind were better off dead, that's what his new mantra became. Every single time disaster had struck, the obsidian had taken off with all the supplies he could manage to throw into his truck and head off down the clearest highway he could manage, often going as far as he could before the engine began sputtering from lack of gas.

It was another week of running that he had decided to fill up and pillage what supplies he could from the next town off the interstate, covering what he already had with a thick tarp. Levi had been just cruising in some dump off ninety-two when he had seen a new mob form and begin to migrate. Moving aimlessly and mindlessly to the front of an abandoned building where they proceeded to push and claw at the entrance. They weren't necessarily aggressive yet, but if they weren't allowed into that area within the next few moments they certainly would be... Especially if the gathering had formed because they tracked some flesh.

He waited until the mob had began to push against the door frames before doing anything, starting by blaring the horn of his truck. The loud revving of the engine attracted the attention of some bloodshot eyes, and with a smirk of victory he slammed the gas and propelled right into the hoard, blotches of blood decorating the whole front end as the massive power of the pick up pushed and ran over what infected dare lie in his path. A majority had tumbled over with a mix of sickening groans and crack; to his satisfaction they seemed to fumble about and were unable to pick themselves up. He backed up and ran over what he could once more to try and finish those off.

The group had lessened quite a bit, and whatever undead that still lingered on the sidelines were taken out with skull-crushing blows from the crowbar. Narrowed eyes turned to the door these things had been after, smacking the metal against the center and leaving a bloody mark as he rasped the surface. "Hey! Whoever's in there! They're dead."

* * *

><p>Sometimes she found herself questioning why. Why had she lived? It seemed like such a struggle, such a long time... The marks on her wall only said five months. All that fight, living by drawstrings... and here she was, in the middle of the city, trying to help Ian navigate through the city as live bait. The hunting knife she brandished was no longer a prideful prize her father once owned - it was life. The grip she kept on it knuckles under her gloves white. She tried to keep a level head, dragging the metal bat in her left hand along the walls of buildings and fences, distracting and leading the small horde away from the grocery Ian needed to get into.<br>The brunette didn't think where she was leading them, just that she needed to keep their attention. Glancing over her shoulders and seeing the hungry eyes she picked her pace up. A part of the scientist regreted not going out more with the others - this town was cluttered and a plain disaster. Her safe spot was so far from the man she would never know when he was ready to leave at this rate. Well, at least Hanji knew her way back to the church. Hopefully, she wouldn't get caught in the woods for the night... Sighing, and not seeing any other option, the next house she came across quickly had it's door kicked in.

Running into any building, let alone blindly and for the first time, was a terrible idea... but you never knew how lucky you could get. The home looked like it had already been looted, and she could hear movement upstairs... From the groans and muffled thums, the T-V.I. up there seemed locked in a bedroom. She could safely stay down here and breath so long as she stayed against this doors and kept the offenders banging on the other side of the wood out.

"Jesus..." Her head thumped against the door, letting her body relax in defeat. She hated the thought of live bait, there was no sanity left in this shit hole! Hell, she wasn't even safe here...! Truthfully, she hadn't been afraid before. Hanji had been through ideas and debates of how much to trust the door to hold as she escaped out the back door. Now...? She froze up as a loud engine hollered outside of the door instead of the T-V.I. Her eyes shut tightly as the sound of second deaths took place, and her thought to flee was overrun by the fear of being caught or seen by whoever it was killing the infected outside. The world was fucked up, and that was obvious to see once you feared people more than the mob of flesh-eating monsters. Raiders, sadists... anyone could play 'hero' and kill a mob to seem friendly.

The womans hand fumbled for the metal, quick in getting to her feet as loud knocking sounded. It's not like she still couldn't make a break for the back. Hesitant, and wishing she'd brought the gun at least for intimidation, the door was pulled back enough to peek at this 'rescuer', ready to either slam the door or swing the bat.

"Holy shit..." The bodies caught her attention first. Had she really attracted that many titans? The limp bodies were unsettling, the dead being killed again always made her feel... sick. It was crazy to feel sorry for them even when she was the one busting heads but... the deep marks in their skulls showed this strangers brutality.

"So that's what they all gathered for? Hell, what did you do to attract this many fuckers?" The man attempted to peer past her to see if there were others with her. However, when he seemed to realize she was the only one, he sighed. Hanji could only guess how worried she seemed, but he couldn't fairly judge her - he looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks. Surely he understood why she was weary? People didn't just travel alone in this world!

"Who are you?" She demanded, throwing the door back and taking a step out.

"... It doesn't matter, we don't need to exchange formalities." The crowbar he was weilding lowered to hang from his hip, the man turning his back and heading to the bloodied truck. A dirty towel was pulled from the bed, terry cloth being used to wipe the blood and gore from the headlights. "I'm done here, so try not to get yourself killed after I'm gone."

"...You did... all of this by yourself? You didn't have to - I had it handled!" She didn't know if she should be offended or not, this stranger thought she couldn't handle herself! It was a relief to hear he was going so soon... He wasn't a raider or anything.

"Yeah yeah, too bad I hadn't stepped in for your sake." He was practically ignoring her as he poked his head under the hood, cursing at the mess that had splattered through.

"Look, no ones dumb enough to stick around a place this infested - I don't even stay here. Make sure you and your people get out quickly, there's nothing worth keeping anywhere around here!" Frankly, she didn't want to fight over resources - he had no right to take if he wasn't sticking around! Not when she and hers had been here for so long!

"Well, no offense to you, but I'm still going to take a look. Maybe grab a bite in one of these rack-shacks." She stared him down for a moment when his hands went up. "I'm not going in there after you." He shot back, wiping down the iron bar in his heads before letting the crowbar sit on a seat inside the cab.

He obviously knew better than to ask any questions regarding her group. Location, members, supplies and any generlized quesions reguarding the hidden people were entirely off-limits. There were too many marauding groups of scum that had been born in this world, and he didn't seem to be apart of it all. "Hey... I'm no threat to your people. I just want to be on the highway by nightfall."

He was quick o jump into he cab, fiddling with the wires until the metallic monster road to life. Before she could say anything else, the stranger leaned over and tossed the towel out at her to fumble with. "You have blood on your face."

Even though he had wiped off his weapon and car with the thing, she couldn't help rubbing the blood off as quickly as possible from her cheek. Brief encounters like this... Watching as a stranger who had just helped zoom off... They were weird. It wasn't her place to interfere. Besides, if that monster was his ride, good luck; that old clunker was bound to draw the attention of the dead around them.

"Good luck."

Deciding to put off heading straight for where base was, the woman doubled back to find her pack. She wasn't really surprised to find Ian was no longer waiting for her and she couldn't blame him; her discarded bag was left behind as well. She gave the blond man credit for doing runs with her, but he thought of the whole group when it came to what he grabbed. However, she thought for herself. Without him looking around to ask what or why she was grabbing, she could go for her prioritized cooking and surviving items.

A restock of duct tape, the nuts and berries packages, cans of soup and beans and a lucky bag of dehydrated chicken pieces; the woman was stuck rummaging around for rope. Finding very little luck she decided to use the rag she'd been stuck with to clean her bat off, slinging the pack over her shoulders and starting back for the woods. Any other time and she wouldn't have minded sacrificing some of the nut mix to draw out hunting prey, but soon it would be too dark, it wouldn't be worth it. Instead she was quiet as she cut through the trees, keeping the highway in sight. No sense going out on the road where the infected migrated when she was safe in the shadows. Eventually she'd have to cross it, get to the other side and make a break for base...

"You've gotta be kidding me..."The woman frowned at the sight on the road. "Hey!"

* * *

><p>Levi had left the woman behind without a second thought; her life was no skin off his nose. The look in her eyes was familiar; she was a survivor, and she would do just fine without him. As far as he was concerned, Levi would never see her again in his life.<p>

The next gas station he had crossed was quickly searched, but for the most part he came up empty. Cans of beans and some raviolis just made the cut, though the bottle of booze and a candy bar for his own pleasure had been tossed in his bag. He wasn't hurting right now, he had managed to slowly stock up enough over the past few weeks to keep him going for awhile. He just wanted to turn tail before he got too deep in zombie-infested wasteland.

Luck hadn't quite been on his side. The truck had broken down about three miles down the road on the interstate, engine sputtering loudly and steaming angrily as the monster was pulled to a stop. The vehicle he had trusted with his life was overheated, and there weren't many things he could do to fix her up.

He managed to trace a slow coolant leak to the point near the hoses... Tightening the clamps a few turns didn't do much to change the problem. Years of fixing issues like this flew through his mind as he started to look through the mess of metal, eyes squinting for the main source of the distress. It would help to park the car on a grade, turn the heater temperature control up all the way, and idle the engine with the radiator cap off...but he didn't have that option available. That, and he did not have any coolant on-hand. Some water would hold him off for a bit longer, but there was a reluctance to use such a precious resource on this misadventure.

All of the sudden it hit him, there was a piece he over looked. It was the damned radiator cap! Since the cap was old, the spring was weak and when the pressure builds high enough it overcomes the spring pressure and allowed the coolant to flow from the radiator to the overflow tank. It just never got hot enough until under a good heavy load so he would have been rolling along fine if not for the amount of sheer weight that had accumulated in his trunk. Damn it all!

Just his fucking luck, right as he has stumbled on the solution the sun had also just begun to set. There was no way he could work right now, not in this poor lighting - and this wasn't exactly the safest of all places to crash to say the least. He kicked the tire of the truck roughly with a bang, letting out a stream of curses as he looked over the engine over and over again, trying to think his situation over. There had to be something he could do to get on rolling, even if it were just for another few miles it would be in his favor.

"Hey!" The obsidian jumped, knocking the back of his head against the hood of the car. Swearing up a storm, he turned around and saw the same girl from earlier rushing from the trees and jumping over the Jersey Barrier towards them. "What are you doing? You can't stay here, Titans migrate here. You run out of gas or something?"

"I'm not that stupid. It's the fucking radiator cap." He commented sourly, hands pushed into his pockets.

"Oh..." She looked ready to leave. "You think you can get her running soon?"

"Highly unlikely. The truck is stuck, unless you got a spare and some coolant." Levi frowned, moving past her to the trunk to see if he had anything at all... He really didn't. Fucking hell...

"I can't move far from here. Not now, not like this." He could ransack other trucks tommorrow and sacrifice a waterbottle to float him to the next station, but that wouldnt be until daylight at least. If he worked fast he might be able to secure a position for the night laying either under the tarp or the fuming pickup. Neither of those options seemed very likely, however...those were the only two things he could think of. He woukd have to slit the throat of the next walker in order to get decent coverage, but it wouldnt be the first time he had gotten dirty to die another day.

"...send the message to your people, tell them Ill offer no trouble if they leave me well enough alone." The last thing he needed on top of zombies were raving, territorial people coming to chase him out and make what they could of his bounty. "I still intend to keep out of your hair."

"... Or?" Looks like she wasn't eager to leave after all. An eyebrow raised as she took a few steps closer, shifting as she became unsure of her thoughts. "...My people - um... They've housed others before. If you're stuck, no trouble, yadda yadda, it... It shouldn't be a problem. Especially if you weren't planing on staying..."

"...surely, you understand why I am wary." People werent as kind as they had supposedly been before the fall, but Levi was almost certain that the vast majority had been so cruel from the very star. "Even assuming that I trust you enough to follow, how do I know your people are as level headed and will choose to spare my life?" For some, even the mere thought of another percevied helpless adding weight made them trigger happy.

"We're not many. If you're not visibly sick or wounded there's no risk being taken." The brunette looked to the woodsy area on the other side of the highway. "The most they'd do is send you away. Look, I don't blame you, but if they don't meet you and they come across you later when you can't fix that thing, thats when there won't be many questions." Levi sighed, leaning against the truck with folded arms.

"Besides, you helped me, I could give it a try." When she nodded behind him to the off ramp, onyx eyes followed with a groan. Titans... There wasn't much time to debate.

"...alright, let's go." His hand instinctively grasped the handle of his hatchet, the other tossing the last few things he needed in his bag before slinging the pack over his shoulder, giving the zombies another glance. "Do we waste these geeks first?"

"They're not worth the trouble, there'll just be more behind them." She just shook her head, jumping over the concrete 'wall' between the roads.

"Damn it..." He hissed in annoyance to keep up with her, catching her eye as she turned to make sure he was following. The trip for the most part was wordless, the crunching of their boots filling the space where words just fell short.

As for the woman's warning to keep up, it was headed and respected as law until they had encountered a lame looking geek wandering amonsgst the brush. The brunette had just run past it, though before it could cause any harm a strike to the skull had stopped the undead from lunging at her. When she looked back at Levi in shock, all he did was nodd lightly and pull his weapon free before continuing to chase her quickening footsteps.

It wasnt long before the trees lessened and a church came into view, tension at an all time high as they approached the main entrance.

"I'd...just put that away for right now." She advised, moving ahead enough to wave down what appeared to be movement in the bell tower.

It wasn't the most hospitable of welcoming really. Hostile and angered faces, barks of questions at the woman... A large bearded man seemed very eager to pull the tigger of his glock.

"How do we know he's not bitten?!"

"Does he look sick to you?!"

"Signs don't always show-!"

"Well you're not wrong there." Levi moved to step between the two, eyes leveling to meet the much taller mans. He'd seen eyes like those before...eyes of a coward. "Did you want to inspect me yourself?"

The argument was quickly abandoned.

Minister Kitts Verman didn't want him eating their food, drinking their water, or basically taking up their space. The platinum blonde woman at his side was on edge about letting him stick around at all, but two other men could offer him smiles at least before welcoming his guide back home. So long as he had his own supplies and helped with watch then he could stay as long as he needed. At first, other conditions were shaky. He should stay out of sight where they wouldn't have to deal with him directly, then in plain view where they could keep an eye on him, eventually it didn't matter so long as Kitts didn't see him near the storage or his personal space.

It had taken awhile for Levi to find a corner that gave off a nonthreatening vibe. He had moved from spot to spot with his bag only to be badgered by all of the people here until he was pressed into the farthest corner still in sight... Whatever, that was fine enough for him. As the others ate their shared meal, Levi opened up a half-pound bag of jerky from the gas station and paired it with a can of baked beans and a bottle of whiskey. It was a simple meal, nonetheless no more glamorous than whatever slop they were eating in their tight inclusive circle...that is, if their group had booze as well.

They were a strange people, but he hadn't come expecting a five star comfort inn bed and breakfast scenario. Of course he had hoped for a blanket at least, but even then he knew such a thought would be considering it a stretch. There wasn't much he could do to get himself comfortable without getting dirty looks, so the closest he got to any sort of relief from the days run was propping himself against the wall with his food, staring preferably in the opposite direction as the other people as to not unnerve them any more.

Now and again that brunette was looking back at him. He could hear their whispering, the lot of them. 'Can we trust him', 'He needs to earn his stay', 'Did anyone get his name'. Before the conversation was over though, the girl who had led him here was walking his way, plopping herself cross from him, eyeing the bottle of booze in his hand.

"...So you grabbed alcohol, but not a pillow or something?" She wasn't good at hiding her envy.

"I don't know, I guess it was sort of an instinctual reaction." He shrugged it off easily, letting it roll off his shoulders like the lightest thing in the world. "Getting a comfortable amount of sleep is just about as rare as getting a drink now-a-days, and I guess I was thinking more of the latter this time." By now he was finishing up his meal as well, left over meat being re-sealed for the morning when he would need a boost of protein. Just past her he could see the remaining three speaking softly amongst themselves and looking back anxiously - talking about them presumably. How nice...

"Great people you've got here, really surprised you were so eager to return." Though if they trusted her, then he was sure she got more than a fair share of the stick. The bottle was tilted unceremoniously in her direction, it wasn't as if he had any desire to get wasted and finish a whole bottle alone - it also wasn't common anymore that he got the chance to have a drink with someone.

"It's a roof over my head," She admitted, offering a small smile. "It's the best option right now. I never said they were friendly..." An honest answer - a survivor's answer. Though the grim expression was gone from her face, she declined his offer. "I would hold onto that for a moment. Head Hancho Mustacho doesn't want the drink in the house of the lord or something like that. But, if you want... you can follow me and share that properly."

Before he could ask much more, she was on her feet, offering him a hand to help pull him up. "... Hanji, by the way. Don't feel obligated though."

Dusting his pants off, Levi grabbed his pack and followed her away from the group, shifting in the silence after her introduction. Surprisingly, there weren't and remarks or shouts as they left the sight of the others, and he felt a bit safer. "...Levi." He should have said his name before, but there really wasn't the push to exchange pleasantries. In comparison to the others, the brunette seemed to be the most trustworthy. Even still, there was a bit of hesitancy as they moved down a hallway and she opened a door to a secluded area. "...nice set-up you've got here, they must really like you."

"You know, I'm not sure if that's sarcasm or not." A bark of laughter cam from the woman, hand out for the bottle once the door was shut. Really, it was the room farthest from the other three, meaning - in their eyes - less protection. However, the room that seemed to have another door, and a few windows that showed this was the last room to the cemetary and woods. An escape route...

The brunette plopped down onto a spread out sleeping bad, patting the pillow at the head for him to join her. "Levi, huh? You're gonna stick with that? Cause now's your chance - you could be anyone you want."

"I'm fine with Levi." He chuckled, sitting down next to her with a grunt, hands folding in his lap. "As far you know, this could be my newest alias." It was just playful banter. As far as the obsidian was concerned, he had no reason to change his identity anyway.

"True enough, not bad." Hanji cackled, laughing to herself as her back rested against the wall.

Though his inhibitions were against it, the shorter tried to be courteous of her offer and pulled his boots off to appear comfortable. She was the first person in awhile he hadn't felt anxious around... "So, what happens when you disappear back here? You left alone?"

"For the most part," The taller opened the bottle for a quick swing; she didn't appear to have excess cups... Damn. "Until it's my turn for watch. Well, at night anyway. If I'm back here during the day everyone has to keep their doors opened. Chores need to get done, la-de-da, it's like being a kid all over again sometimes." The only difference was 'being kicked out' had a whole new twist of survival ratings if you didn't listen.

"Sounds exciting." Eyes rolled lightly. "I guess I should be glad I'm not planning on sticking around, hm?" It was for his own benefit anyway, he wasn't about to walk in where he clearly wasn't welcomed. It wasn't like he had intentions to stick around, and it wasn't like these people would suddenly open their arms and become generous Christians. "Am I going to be jumped in my sleep?"

"No, no. From what I heard the men all had wives, and Rico had a girlfriend." Eyebrows rose. The woman was in very good spirits, so open... Then she leaned over to pass the bottle back, sharing like a normal human being.

"She's gay then? Wouldn't have guessed... Too bad, it must be hard. Women are slim pickings amongst men, now she's gotta find one that swings her way in all of this." He had had his fill of the booze before she came to him, but he took a drink for her sake.

"In these times, who knows." She shrugged, "Maybe she'll get lucky, if they're ever willing to meet other living people..."

He frowned. Maybe he was luckier than he thought... He didn't seem convinced from his question though. "... Didn't really answer me."

"No one wants your shit - no offense, and there's no reason to kill you. I told you, you're fine. So, you think you can get what you need from town? Cause you're sort of in the middle of no where, traveling by nights pretty much a pain in the ass... You won't get to the next town over on foot before suns gone."

"As for the car, I'm going to shuffle around a few of the trucks in the area and hopefully find a cap that will fit." He wsn't expecting any trouble, but it was all still riding on chance. "Siphoning coolant is the easy part, so unfortunately for you this might be the only night you may get some of this." Of course he was refering to the drink, but her laughter told her she let her dirty mind read into it otherwise.

"Well shit, please tell me you have more back at your truck then, because this really will be my last chance seeing this in here."

"Of course I have some, but that doesn't mean I'm keen to sharing more." The bottle was passed to her anyway, the man not really caring that she had what he did in this moment. "Different flavors, types of liquors - shit, I stocked up while I could. What else is out there in life to enjoy? Just take it while you can." He on the other hand probably wouldn't have any more, already feeling a haze he hadn't intended on meeting - just a tad beyond a nice buzz.

She seemed very pleased with his answer, clinging onto the bottle with glee. "Oh my god, I miss this... I should just try sneaking more in again."

"If you like it now, just wait til you're buzzed." That was his favorite part anyway, and he finally was in a safe enough place to actually attempt it this time.

"Hmmmm, I have a watch, they'd kill me." Another swig, the brunette keeping the bottle in hand. "... Where you heading?"

"Well...I've been around the area awhile, so I'm thinking about heading out of state." Too many few good encounters versus how many bad, he wanted out before any more came up. Maybe he could find one of the rumored 'safe zones' though his optimism had dwindled greatly. "Maybe to the coast, it's been awhile since I've been that way."

"Wait - 'the coast'? You mean... The one allll the way across the country?" Those large brown eyes looked at him like he was crazy. "Not the one, say, a few states away, the one _west coast_?"

"Why not?" Levi defended himself, laying down in her makeshift bed with a small groan. "Let's be honest, when's a better time to go then the end of the world? You might as well get in all the sight seeing you can." He found it hard to trust groups...every time he got comfortable something happened, and so he couldn't afford to let himself be amongst packs anymore. Attachment was a terrible thing, and he didn't want to loose any more people. Right now he was in the best position; there wouldn't be a single person upset if he died - it gave him some sort of a strange comfort.

"... Holy shit..." She looked...jealous. All his life he'd been in the same state, and now... He had only visited the next one over. He could see the thoughts running through her head. 'Where had he come from', 'How much had he seen', 'How much more could he see before he died or broke down'...The worst had been the initial break-out... How much had _she_ seen since then?

"So... you're leaving tomorrow? You... You're the only person we've seen alive around here in two months..." She looked terrified at the thought. "Which really sucks... I can't think of the last time I shared a room with someone... let a lone a bed... a night... How have you been doing it, Levi?"

"..._sex_?" Levi sat up at the woman's words, honestly surprised. The flush on her face and the sheen of embarrassment was enough to tell him that was exactly where her train of thought was going... and he was intrigued. Putting her sentences together gave him a nice compliment, and the way her eyes watched him matched the favor. Had she been looking at him like this the whole time? Even more appealing, was that the reason she took him back here? She had his interest, that was for sure.

"...Have you felt lonely?" The obsidian murmured, moving a bit closer. He hadn't even realized when he leaned in, fingers brushing a thigh. "..._How long has it been for you?"_

"Th-Thats...!" Not what she meant? Amber eyes locked onto the cool gaze, doing her best not to look even slightly intimidated. "...You're awfully smug about it."

"Hm, you're right. Maybe I was over reacting." Blame it on the booze, that was his last resort. The obsidian leaned back just a bit, eyes following her fingertips with mild curiosity as she reached out to touch him. "My apologies for jumping to conclusions." She still looked terribly embarrassed, and he started to feel bad for taking advantage of that. "I thought it would be the best way to answer you... You're drunk."

Levi reached behind her, grabbing the bottle and setting it aside. "Get some sleep. You have watch in the morning."

He wasn't sure if she looked disappointed or relieved. Frankly, he didn't care. Instead he laid back down on the blankets and stared up at the ceiling as the brunette shifted under the sheets and curling up. Good... With a sigh he let himself drift.


	4. A Shot For Humanity

She woke up to the usual sounds of the morning; the sounds of her fellow survivors slowly waking, the sounds of silence that made her sick in the morning... There was a light pounding at the front of her skull but the brunette had worked through bigger hangovers before...

Amber eyes glanced to the warm body next to her, a soft chuckle in the back of her throat to see him dozing off. Hanji managed to crawl out of the sleeping bag, pulling the blanket back up to cover the man with a smile. It wasn't long to stay, the woman grabbing her glasses and jumping to her feet. Boots were pulled on, knife at her side, and gun stashed in her backpack. She glanced towards the window with a small sigh. Dawn was breaking, so she woke just in time.

Careful not to be ask much as a klutz as usual, Hanji hurried out the door and felt the second wave of nausea when she passed the door to the basement. Rico was just starting down the steps of the attic, the pure look of distaste not hidden from her expression.

"... Sleep well?" She heard the blonde hiss. Unfortunately she couldn't say much back, all the brunette could do was bite her tongue. The first fight she got in with the other woman had nearly gotten her thrown out... there was no need to make things worse now that it was evident she favored the new stranger.

It was a bit of a shame; she wondered what tedious chore the man would be doing to make up for his sleep of the night before. Would he bother staying again?

She tried not to think much on it, the brunette climbing the stairs before plopping down in the only comfortable chair in the entire church, letting out a small happy sigh as the cushions made her feel just a little at home every time.

Giving her glasses a quick wipe on her shirt, the now on watch woman picked up the attic-use-only rifle and took a look around the edges of the woods around them. Seemed... calm... Good, a nice morning.

This is how it would be for awhile; she watched from the window as Mitobi left the church with a catch-pole and quickly tried to look away to prevent any following thoughts. Not too long after, Ian had led Levi out the front with the buckets - well, she supposed that was one way to make Levi serve...

* * *

><p>The faint noises of groans was the first thing that he caught upon slowly gaining consciousness. His skin crawled as a snapping noise faintly broke through... There were several of them! Pulling, gnawing, <em>feeding<em>. Cool blue eyes snapped open, panic sweeping through the man to find his weapons were out of reach, that the woman was gone -! There was nothing... The room he had fallen asleep in last night was empty; both of the woman and of any sign of threat... That couldn't be right... Where had the noise come from?!

Levi grabbed out for his bag, wrenching his crowbar free and jumping to his feet. Where the hell had the sounds come from?!

"Hey!" The man jumped at the voice, turning to find the disgusted scowl of Rico staring him down from the open doorway. "You're on fresh-water duty with Ian. Get your shit together."

Well, wasn't that perfect? She didn't say anything else as the shorter left him to scrounge the room for his boots and hurry to scarf down some of the jerky and water. He was lucky enough Ian was waiting for him outside the room with a bucket.

"The creek not crisp enough for you?" The obsidian muttered, looking the metal pail over.

"Can't be too careful. We follow it uphill a bit more further from town, away from the Infected... Don't want anything a confused corpse has been floating in..."

Well, there was something Levi had never really thought about. He instantly felt a heaviness in his stomach and was thankful for the water he had stalked up and bottled at the spring with his previous group. That water had been brought in, boiled, and then cooled before being poured and dispersed. Nice group for some merciless raiders really.

He tried not to think of them, or really any of his previous groups. Instead he focused on the man in front of him as he led him upstream, listening to the water or the woods around them for any sign of the dangerous things walking the lands - humans were just as frightening to come across anymore as the Geeks.

* * *

><p>Hanji leaned against the basement door with a slight impatience, knife held up close to her chest and at the ready. Her hand was shaking, that much was true, but this was so routine now that she hated the amount of fear that came with living in this godforsaken church.<p>

Finally the knock on the other side came, and the woman backed off to throw it open, shaking hand and narrowed eyes on the dark room in preparation. Very quickly Mitabi and Kitts hurried out, the former looking a bit pale. The door quickly slammed behind them, Rico finally out as well with a grim look.

Hanji could only breath a sigh of relief, sheathing the pathetic knife. She didn't like to think much how useless it may be in a worse-case scenario situation but... No, she shook any lingering thoughts away. "...S-So?"

"Treatment will continue." Kitts grumbled gruffly, walking past her with little acknowledge of the anger that flashed in the dark brown optics.

"This is pointless!" She shouted, following after the man with thundering steps. "You can't honestly thin-!"

"Bite your tongue!" The bearded man reeled on her, arm moving fast enough to have lost her attention, all Hanji noticed was the sting in her cheek not a second afterward. "Or you can very well leave with that _trash_!"

Levi... Her shoulders slumped as she glanced outside. It was already past noon and Ian and Levi probably wouldn't be returning for another half hour at least with the water. There wouldn't be a whole lot of time for their 'guest' to find whatever piece it was to fix his truck at this rate... He'd have to stay another night, and he wouldn't be allowed that luxury if she got herself thrown out.

"... Yessir." She would have to remain quiet, shoulders slumping as her sight lingered on her shoes in bitter resentment. Hush up, stay silent... that's all she had been _allowed_ to do since she arrived...

* * *

><p>The trip itself had taken hours, let along filling the buckets and then carrying those heavy ass things back...! Even worse was the welcoming committee; two Titans lingering on their path back home, and with their groans a third had wondered into the clearing just in time to lumber into Levi and knock him to the rock littered ground and get his knees and hands cut up as Ian took the third fucker out. Bleeding hands were no excuse to not carry the bucket though, and frankly the trip had only gotten slower as he limped behind the brunet man.<p>

He and Ian probably hadn't gotten back until nearly two o'clock, and with the autumn's lovely weather he knew he didn't have long. The water had been dropped in front of a very pissed off Kitts. After all, _how dare he get hurt when he could possibly get blood in his wounds and get infected_. He could kill the man, and damn it was tempting. Levi vaguely remembered moving his crowbar to meet the nose-tip of the pastor or whatever he claimed he was just to stop it before doing any damage. Maybe that's why he was limping with the brunette woman towards the highway.

"I'll hardly have any time..." He grumbled, ignoring the chuckling next to him. He wouldn't ever understand this chick.

"You _should have hit him_. Dear god, _someone_ should!" Hanji managed.

"Can't afford it... I'll probably have to spend another night." He hated the thought of sticking around after today. A part of him felt a trap; if he stuck around he would be stuck doing chores all day until he was tired, then he would have to sleep... and do more chores to pay that night of sleep off... An endless cycle. Eyes turned to the woman next to him. Her knife was out but she still seemed so worry free... Had she been the same? Trapped here to stay?

Though...It's not like they were physically trapped. They could literally leave, right now... And walk. No, the woman had said it before, they were in the middle of nowhere, and from what he had seen the town was void of most resources. This was the only sanctuary... Fuck.

"We should turn around..." He muttered, sighing as he sat on the closest rock. The woman turned to him with a bit of disappointment and curiosity. "What? There's no point; when we get there I'll have just enough time to look at maybe two cars around us. I'm not a miracle worker - then I'd need time to fix the damn truck up! The sun sets at what - four, four-thirty? My hands fucking _burn_ Hanji, I can't do it today!" He growled, glaring daggers and the taller.

"... Okay... Take it easy..." Hanji put her hands up defensively. "We'll head back, that's okay... Want help?"

* * *

><p>She hated seeing him like this. Yesterday he had seemed so brazen; a strong will and a rage aimed at the entire world. Now... Well, even as she indulged in using emergency supplies she had stashed in her room to clean his wounds and bandage what she could; even in such complimentary candle lighting, he seemed more defeated. She wanted to see the strength and anger in his eyes again... Or the kindness from last night.<p>

"... You have food tonight?" She asked cautiously, eyes watching his reaction carefully.

"I'm fine." Still a harsh tone... She would take that as a good sign. "I'll share... they seem to be giving you the cold shoulder already...

Hanji smiled, far more content to share with him once more than try and melt the ice around her housemates. Her thoughts were returning to the night before, pushing them aside. It was hard to fight them after all... she could die any moment.

Even still, there was the question on why _he_ had said no... Maybe he was still picky enough to have a type that she didn't cut? He had seemed like he liked the idea... For a moment.

She was in the middle of taking a bite of his jerky when it blurted out of her mouth. "Is there something wrong with me?" Maybe she was over thinking it all, or maybe she just hadn't like being turned away... The offense and hurt took residence in her expression, but hidden in the orbs was a spark of determination.

"... What?"

"I just thought I wasn't the only one who was lonely, you're the one by himself. If you'd rather keep to yourself just... say so... I wouldn't throw you out of my room or throw you out of the church, but... Just say so..."

It was one of those fronts you put up so people couldn't hurt you; if she hadn't already been doing it for years she would've been great at it anyway thanks to the hospitable hostiles she shared a roof with. A complete stranger not liking you shouldn't hurt your feelings, but everyone knew that the initial reaction to pain was to shroud yourself for protection.

_"What?"_ Now he just seemed confused, and she felt stupid because she understood why... But.. She had never been a good flirt or anything; she wanted to be with him, wasn't that alright? "No, no - it's that I - I didn't think you were serious..." He shook his head. "I mean, we were drinking last night. I was just trying to avoid any trouble; if you're trying to insinuate something fast with no strings attached..." He seemed to be making a second attempt to move closer to her. The silence that fell between them only made her feel more foolish.

"... I _am_ lonely..." His voice broke through, quiet, but reassuring. "It's because I've been along that I don't pick up on all these signals right..." To him, it was hard to believe anyone lusted at the end of the world... Though he didn't seem to be complaining.

"I wouldn't hold it against you in the morning." She could, even tease him for it; not that she would. "I'm not that bad..." She wasn't drunk anymore, she'd remember this. It's not like the others would have to know; they'd never guess anyway, the whole building had enough bumps in the night.

Still,the barrier had to lesson, the cold shoulder was shortly gone. Obviously it had been longer than she would have guessed - may even be a safe bet to say he hadn't been with anyone since the fall of humanity if he didn't catch a signal well. "There aren't a lot of options anymore... You're not bad looking... You'll be gone soon, if not tomorrow... Who knows after that, right? So... Why not?"

"You don't need to make up an excuse for my sake." Levi certainly didn't need one, but he let her go on because she might need to find a way to reason her own actions. The brunette seemed anxious though, less defensive, but not as sly and happy as she had been last night when the topic first came up.

The obsidian moved to break the ice, leaning in tentatively to brush his lips against the woman's, a hand settling on her waist. It was the first careful touch, like he was asking for permission rather than just jumping on the opportunity.

It was sweet; more slack than she may have given the stranger on first glance. She shifted lightly at his touch, moving closer to him enough where a small tug on his coat would make sure he didn't get too far.

The brunette knew she had a bad habit of talking and ruining moments like these, so she would have to shut herself up. Amber eyes closed, leaning into the kiss with a gentle nip of appreciation. She wasn't fragile; after the incentive was made, touching him wasn't as awkward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to deepen the kiss was just right.


	5. Take Me to Church

This felt different than any of the times he had been with a stranger. The circumstances had a big effect on the moon, but he hadn't expected to feel this warm just because a woman was nibbling and nipping at his lips. Hands that had drifted gently on her waistline pulled her hips, bringing her pelvis closer to his own, the man still careful enough to lean her back against the makeshift bed, leaning forward to kiss her with all the passion she was seeking.

Fingertips traced up and down the woman's sides, not modest or timid as his palm moved to caress the brunette's chest. Buttons opened easily, the younger pulling a bit eagerly at her shirt. His movements were jerky, full of need and excitement as the moment caught up with him.

She was already caught up in the moment; teeth clicked against each other clumsily, nimble fingers tracing down his torso for the end of his shirt. Hanji didn't want to say she was surprised, but rather impressed with the muscle under the clothing.

The brunette was arching into his every touch; he was just so warm... His actions were rough, their breathing shallow, and while his hold was as desperate as her it was gentle. The woman leaned up to let her shirt fall, hands navigated down to his lap to fight with his belt and pants.

Was this going too fast? It seemed fine - was that just the circumstance or did she really stop caring? Should she be whimpering already? Levi... he was going at the same pace she was... He was just so alive, it was an amazing change to feel so human, even for just a little while. It was nice to know her biggest worry would be trying to keep track of her clothes for the morning, or be upset she had lost her warm and cozy socks in the process of wiggling out of her pants; it didn't matter anyhow, the way she was heating up, getting distracted... A smile and giggles bubbled up when he nipped at her skin. She let everything else go once he finally let her remove his pants and just grind against this stranger _because it had just simply been too long since she felt like this_!

Levi's groan was hardly suppressed against the woman's neck as hips rocked against his own, shudders wracking his spine as every nerve was lit on end. It felt like every nerve was on end. It felt like there was a fire burning inside of him, crackling and growing with every bittersweet role or whine. For the moment the scary world outside was long forgotten, all that was left was the sight of the breathtaking woman underneath him.

It had been a long time since he had gotten so intimate with someone - too long, he realized in retrospect. They had hardly even started playing this game and it already felt like he was ready to dive with all his inhibitions out the window. He needed her _badly_, and though she seemed to really be loving all the rough presses and caresses, he still couldn't help but feel like an ass as he pulled her closer so he could grind against her core.

Somewhere in the midst of their tangle a leg had been pulled over to rest in the crook of his arm, fingers fumbling quick and clumsy in fight with the brunettes bra. Once that fabric was out of the way, the man forced himself to lean back, fingers attempting to wiggle between them so he could reach her last article of clothing. With panties out of the way his palm cupped her sex, thumb rolling teasing circles, fingers stroking and spreading her lips to allow digits to slide in.

Gasps for breath and soft throaty whines fueled his fevor; fingers twitching, curling, pushing, and pumping harder, _deeper,_ until he was sure she was going to come-!

He really could be a cruel man.

Trembling hands retreated to quickly rid himself of his shorts, pulling them down and kicking them into the dark, hurrying back on top of Hanji. Quiet teases of _'Don't get us caught'_ were whispered against her ear, hips rolling into the apex of her thighs, just close enough to feel the heat without feeding the fire. Knees were coaxed over his hips as a mix of kisses and bites moved hungrily up her throat, pausing more for anticipation as he avoided pushing into her.

If they got caught it would be his fault... She had been_ so close_ - melting in his hands and on edge just to be strung out by this man! She couldn't say when he had gotten closer. Feeling him press against her completely, teasing and smug, there was a string of curses and mumbles - most sounded like gibberish. No matter how much she was trying to grind against him the obsidian wasn't going to make this easy!

_"Do you need help?"_ Her voice was light, airy, but she couldn't help but try and tease back - she had proposed the idea, she wasn't going to beg too! She didn't wait for n answer, he hand mapping down his side until she could follow his hip line to the pulsing member; featherlight brushes across the sensitive tip before moving to herself, tired of being pulled along.

_"That would be nice..."_ Levi groaned softly, shivers racing down his spine as fingers teased and played with the sensitive crown. The man hooked her knees at his elbows before pushing with a groan, more than appreciating the brunette's help to find the much desired target.

A hand gripped his base tightly at the first few thrusts, moving softly with the strangers, offering a a chance for both of them to adjust and calm down, _holy shit this was really happening_ and he really didn't want to be the reason their session would be short - featherlight kisses dominated the expanse of skin he managed to reach simply by tilting his cheek, soft bites taking their place to keep the pace established.

She couldn't help the squirming, although she was determined to press as close as possible; try to relax as the obsidian's hips began to rock, the friction bringing sparks of heat between her thighs. The brunettes body rolled with his careful movements, leaning into each warm press of his lips. Hanji isn't lying still - nibbling, licking, shifting under him as legs spread further.

Nails dug into the makeshift bed under her, the sound of whoever was on watch creaking one of the old attic boards dulled out a mewl - tiny, vulnerable, and so strange to her own self to hear - but did not blot out the triumph on his face. Hanji opened her mouth to object to the slow pace, words lost on her lips as he seemed to think the same thing with a new assertiveness in his thrust that makes her body tremble.

Already hot and quivering around him, tightening and drawing him in with the quiet need for a harder pace. A low moan hummed for his throat as legs spread as wide as she could for him, hips snapping up naturally to pick up and dominate all space between them. Palms gripped and pulled her hips into his lap, a bruising grip pinning her down as he began to cover her neck in gentle bites and open-mouthed kisses.

Even with his lips pressed against skin he couldn't suppress the low moans that came with every push of the woman's pelvis into his own - to think he was really being the loud one here surprised the obsidian immensely. Curses became soft pleasing prayers against the woman's skin, the room around them starting to heat up.

Her panting was evolving, whimpers and purrs with his rough handling, gentle moans ghosting her breath with each warm bite and prayer. It would have been funny - weeks she had spent here and the strangers night had them both pleading for the heavens. She had just gotten his name down and it was now one of the few words that danced past her lips.

Every movement that would be sure to show come morning rose her voice louder. Every time the bundle of nerves was brushed against she reached for him, nails digging into skin as an anchor; when he hit the right angle she lost her breath and arched off the floor.

Soon she was _begging_ for him. Breathless words muffled in the powerful attempts to be the quiet one of the two, tiny mewls of appreciation, swears of endearment when he slowed, pleads _of just needing_ to come and_ please right there!_

The harder he pushed, the more they both needed it, the faster and more frantic race to get to the end - it was so much more than he would ever expected out of a fling. Every rough thrust sent sparks down his spine and willed the brunette to lift off the floor, cries muffled and partially contained as they moved in unison, gasping and shivering at the chill of the night.

The obsidian pulled out, quickly flipping their positions so that the woman's stomach was pressed to the floor. She might have been ready to come undone before, this should really shove her off the edge. Calloused hands pulled her hips into his own, fingers rolling on the swollen bundle of nerves as his body draped over her own. An open palm gripped at her chest, thumb flicking over a taut nipple as teeth worried the back of her neck and her earlobe. Curses pressed into heated skin, groans hardly suppressed over the sound of skin slapping skin.

She hadn't ever been quiet for long before; any time silence was necessary there was something that actually helped. Hanji quickly became thankful for the pillow; swears, pleas, and cries alike muffled into it the harder she was pressed. Oh _fuck_ this position, the angle of his hips, fingers jolting waves of of pleasure from her core through her spine - a twisted kind of pleasing torture. A frenzy began within her; her hands grasped white-knuckled onto the blanket under her, her whole body leaning back into his just to fucking feel all of him - _she needed him_! That slick sound between them had never been more of a turn on...!

Sweaty, sticky, slippery fluids and moaned profanities - how close she had gotten with this stranger. How explicit, how perfect and lucky he had returned her interest, was well endowed, liked it rough...! She never thought she'd be into this kind of thing... Was it the person or the situation? She didn't even care anymore; weeks in this place had never felt so comforting and warm before now.

"L-_Levi!"_ She hadn't felt so damn good in forever! The actual powerful toll an orgasm took... It rushed over her like an inferno; that ripple through her sex, deep into her core, up her spine - feel her muscles spasm and contract around him, pull him in deeper just a bit more while sill pushing at the same time. Her toes curled, eyes screwed shut when her breathing stopped altogether. Her legs shook and she shivered, he was still going. It's an amazing ride as her senses slowly pull her back, her mind still high in the clouds as his thrusting hips helped her ride her ecstasy while she could with soft whines._ "Oh fuuuuuck...!"_

Her body pulsed and pooled so warmly around him, hot core tightening and milking out his own end, her whimpering so sweetly for him to come. He's so overcome with the rush that when he comes inside her he jerks into an arc, her name spilling from his lips with a curse. Hips twitched just a few more times before easing against her, muscles still sensitive and tingling as he flops down onto the blanket beside her.

The obsidian's mind is so perfectly blank, the most relaxing sigh coming from deep within his chest as his head hit the shared pillow. The only thing that he could register is that his body feels so soft and sore in ways that he hasn't felt in so long, and now more than ever this, whatever this was, is all he needed to recharge. He could give his truck to the person on guard at that moment and not give two shits about what was in it right now, so mind-numbingly good...

_"Holy shit..."_ Dark olive eyes closed, breath stilling as the woman besides him had began to calm. They hadn't lasted long in retrospect, but they hadn't needed long. Hell, in this world they couldn't really afford it anyway... It was still the best lay he had enjoyed in a long time, and it looked like his partner felt the same.

There was a light moan into her pillow as the darker haired lay by her side. Shit, she felt like she could sleep for a few days straight and not care about the Hell she'd wake up to. A hand went out to brush against him, the brunette moving to lay against him as the warmth slowly left her.

_"Sleep well."_ She purred, comfortable and orgasm-happy. He'd be gone tomorrow... but tonight had been amazing enough. For awhile she fought sleep because when she woke he may be gone... Hanji wasn't sure how much time had gone past by the time she had whispered to him to be safe and finally dozed off.

* * *

><p>enjoy a late night chapter.<p> 


	6. Freedom Runs Forward

Levi hadn't managed to stay awake for long, falling asleep shortly after the woman had lain against him, tracing light patterns with her fingertips against his chest. He felt a heavy weight come off his shoulders; he didn't care about the titans, he didn't care about anybody for anything right now...

The man slept like a rock waking just in time to hear the morning shift change above them with a few groans... Wait, _groaning_? On instinct the obsidian hurried to grab his clothes, donning them on his person with his hatchet raised in defense as cool blue eyes peeked out of the brunette's emergency exit. Nothing... Again...

Slipping out of this room and into the next, Rico got quite upset to see him brandishing a weapon when he opened the front door. This world could drive a man crazy, but he _hadn't_ been hearing things; not two days in a row! There was no way his imagination was doing this to him, and it had been so close!

He had to investigate further. Slate eyes looked over every plank and brick the building had to offer as he made a circle around the perimeter. Again, nothing hiding around the church or in the surrounding woods.

The rogue was getting antsy. _One more walk around_ despite the silver haired woman snapping at him to stop fucking around... _There_! It was the back of the building, the door to a cellar. Groans came from the closed basement, followed by the muffled voice of a gruff sounding man. Wait, hadn't he seen everyone on his way out?

No... He hadn't seen the pastor. He didn't need to either, _whatever it was going on down there_ he didn't want to know or take part of it!

Quick footsteps brought him back into Hanji's room, things swept into his bag and heels ready for the door -

... but of course, he had to look back. The brunette was sleeping so peacefully, like an angel. If he left her now, who knows what would happen to her. Who knew what that pastor was doing? Leaving now would assure he'd save his own hide, but the one who had opened her bed and shared her warmth with...? Shit.

"Hanji. _Hanji_." He hissed, shaking her shoulder harshly. She had woken up quickly after that. _"Get up, grab your shit, keep your mouth shut."_ The brunette still looked dazed, but just mouthing the word 'walkers' had her out of her bed and grabbing her things. Her clothes were on in moments and the last thing she did was grab her large pack.

Her eyes squinted as they made it outside, still adjusting to the early morning light, but the amber pools flickered everywhere around the woods in desperate attempt to find the geeks. Rico called out to them, but it didn't hit Hanji until they were several yards away that Rico, Ian and Mitabi were so calm and were worried about where _she_ was going.

"L-Levi?!" The brunette reached out and tried to pull him back, to _stop_ because _what are they running from_? Where were the walkers he was so worried about?! "Levi - wait! What's going on, where are they?!"

The man only stopped when the grip on his arm made it too difficult to move on and the thread of the woman staying behind became real. _"Inside the church."_ He insisted, tightening his grip on the woman's wrist. "I went to go this morning when I heard it. That pastor guy or whoever he says he is was screaming proclamations at them, it sounded like a whole hoard was in the basement!"

Did he sound crazy? Yeah, probably; however if the woman had even half the sense he did then she would understand him. This paranoia wasn't uncalled for! "He's down there trying to save them or some shit - but assuming you didn't know he was crazy, I didn't want your blood on my hands. So _please_, lets _**go**_."

She seemed unsettled... "The basement couldn't fit a whole horde..." Hanji refused to meet his gaze. She felt sick; at least she could always say she knew he was some kind of crazy... "Did you see them? _Actually see them_? Or what he was doing?"

It wasn't like she didn't hear bumps in the night... "We're just leaving them all behind to fall when this turns to bite them in the ass?"

"I don't know why they haven't left already - in this world the sound alone should be enough of a warning to get out." He let go as the woman tried to pull her wrist free, brows furrowing in frustration. "I picked you up from sympathy, did it really seem like I was ready to attempt reasoning with them? No, and I won't now. They might have dug their own graves, but they won't have mine."

"... Okay." Who was she kidding? This was what she was looking for, she had needed a way out. Here it was, coated in grime and the smell of sex... among other things. Even worse, she could not procrastinate this decision - he had heard them, and he was right... "... What piece are we looking for for your truck?"

So she _was_ going with him? Well good, he hadn't wanted to wait and argue to convince her otherwise. "...I need a new radiator heater hose. We just need to find another ford truck and have you cover me for a few while I fix it. The geeks are always a little slow in the morning."

"I can cover you no problem." Good to know how well he trusted her... "You seen the truck you need?" She couldn't recall how many trucks were on the highway, but she was sure there was one around no problem.

"Yeah, I think so. The sun was getting a little too low for me to check for sure." Found Dead On Roadside had never been so true as it was in this post-apocalyptic wasteland. "We'll probably have to ditch it within the next 50 miles anyway."

"Well you've got the light now..." fresh new day. If they were going to go, they needed to get going; frankly she didn't want to deal with a retrieval if anyone realized they went missing and were going to stay that way. 

* * *

><p>Sure, there were cars of all shapes and sizes scattered across the road. Some were completely trashed, others had dead things inside, and few looked like they had hardly been touched. However, the likely event that you'd find the car replicating your make and model during a jam like this? Impossible.<p>

"Pick a new one." He murmured, gritting his teeth as he started going over what he had in the bed of his truck. The essentials of the essentials, that's all they needed to take with them. "-I ain't driving a red one though."

"What's wrong with red?" She looked at the vehicles around them, frowning to find a few had living dead inside. "... Van's too big. Blue Camry? Green Pontiac?" They both seemed to have been here a long while... but untouched for the most part. Sighing, she moved towards the Camry, looking around to find the windshield was cracked. That... could be dangerous. Muttering to herself, she grabbed the blue cars antenna and snapped it before Hanji moved to grab the crowbar from him. With careful precision so as not to damage any precious windows or the door itself, she used the bloody end to wedge the door of the Pontiac open. With a grunt of annoyance she was able to press against the lock, stepping back to throw the door open.

"... Don't know how to hot wire. You're up. Get the baby purring, I'll move the shit into the car."

"A _Pontiac_? Are you kidding me?" He gave her an incredulous look.

"Pontiacs are _tanks_! Were at the end of the world here, and you're going to criticize a car? A car that has good millage so we don't have to suck down gas."

"There's a reason these things aren't around anymore, the company didn't go south because they produced vehicles that lasted decades." Typical girl.

Even still, he walked up and gave it a look over. Grand AM...'97? No, probably a '96. It was an old old car. Surprisingly though, the mileage was low for a car almost two decades old. "We probably won't have this girl long..." The obsidian mumbled as he began to fumble with the wires. Hey, at least she had half a tank, that should keep them coasting for awhile.

The brunette moved closer, trying to get a peek at his work. "A car thats smaller than a truck so its easy to hide, but big enough to fit everything, _and_ we have room to sleep in it."

She unlocked the back door and started piling things in carefully. Easy access to weapons and water, everything else under that. "At least there aren't and dead in it..." Hanji jumped as the engine roared to life, shaking the door shut and crawling over to her seat.

"I hope you won't be like this the entire way across the states..." He let out a groan as the door was behind him was slammed closed, the obsidian taking the rest of his attention and pinning it to the road as they took off west.


End file.
